The One With
by KelaSaar
Summary: A series of one shots examining some of the more light-hearted moments between the Watcher and her companions.
1. The One with the Puppy

**The One with the Puppy**

The Goose and Fox tavern was bright and cheery, as Sagani imagined it was most evenings, full of people desperately in need of a good drink after a long day's work. The low murmur of a dozen conversations was almost soothing, and whatever was cooking over the spit smelled delicious, and only slightly burnt. She'd never be a city person, but she had to admit that sitting in the tavern, warm and cozy, a mug of mead in her hands, was a far sight better than roughing it in the wilds, fending off yet another lion attack. Her peaceful reverie was broken, however, when she saw the Watcher heading over, a huge smile lighting up her face and something wriggling in her arms.

Sagani sighed and shot Remei a skeptical look. "Really, another one?"

"But he's so cute," she replied, holding the yellow puppy up. "I mean look at that face," she continued, as the puppy looked at Sagani with soulful deep brown eyes, his little tail wagging furiously.

"You can't say no to that face," she said, arranging her own features to match the puppy's, her wide green eyes looking into Sagani's pleadingly.

The puppy barked happily, his tongue lolling out.

Sagani just shook her head in response, and walked away, bemused.

"I have children, Remei, that trick hasn't worked on me in a long time."

Remei rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the puppy, scratching behind his ears, giving him a conspiratorial look. "Don't worry, boy, she'll break down eventually. They all break down eventually."

Her attention consumed, Remei almost didn't notice Edér's approach.

Edér gazed down at the puppy with a delighted look on his face. "Who's a good boy? Who needs his belly scratched?"

Remei smiled at him as the puppy seemed to glow under Eder's attention, nuzzling his head against Eder's palm.

"I think he likes you," Remei said, looking up at Edér.

"Course he does," Edér replied. "Dogs are excellent judges of character."

He turned his gaze to her, a lazy grin on his face. "You're building up quite the collection."

Remei responded with a cocky shrug. "What can I say, I like animals. They get me."

Edér raised an eyebrow.

"I happen to be more complex than I look," Remei replied indignantly, her voice laced with haughty grandeur.

"Can't argue with that. You're a watcher. Awakened."

Remei shifted the puppy to her shoulder so she could wave her hand dismissively.

"That's not what I meant." She gestured at herself with her free hand, before continuing in a solemn voice. "Clearly, I'm a dark and brooding loner with a troubled and mysterious –"

Unfortunately, her dramatic speech was cut off before it could begin when the puppy began licking her ear, and Remei learned the hard way that it's hard to maintain any sort of dignity, much less the sort required for a brooding monologue, when a puppy has you giggling uncontrollably.

Eder laughed. "I don't think he believes you. You're too sweet for all that."

Remei paused and looked up at him, meeting his gaze as a small, almost shy, smile came over her face. And Remei was usually anything but shy.

"You think I'm sweet?"

Eder's smile matched her own. "You know you are."

At the bar, Sagani watched them quietly, shaking her head. She turned back to her drink as her lips quirked into a half-smile. Puppies, the lot of them, she thought.


	2. The One with the Paladin

**The One with the Paladin**

"How do you handle it?" Pallegina asked, her voice almost harshly, as though the question were a puzzle she'd been turning over in her mind for days, trying and failing to determine the answer.

Remei was seated on an old log by the campfire, carefully cleaning her equipment, and she looked up in surprise at Pallegina's rather sudden approach.

"Handle what?" she asked, her face scrunched up in confusion, and that same confusion evident in her voice.

Pallegina dropped down on the log next to her, her golden eyes bright and sharp. "All of it. Being a Watcher, being awakened. Knowing you are slowly dying while all the while Thaos plots to kill you himself."

"Not thinking about it helps," Remei answered brightly before turning her attention back to the stiletto she was sharpening.

Pallegina crossed her arms. "That doesn't answer my question." She sounded like a teacher interrogating a wayward pupil.

Remei set the knife down and turned to Pallegina, tapping her chin with her index finger, clearly feigning being deep in thought. "I got it," she said after a moment, snapping her fingers. "Other people's misfortunes always cheer me up."

Pallegina pinched the bridge of her nose. "Is it impossible for you to answer a question without sarcasm?"

"Yes, actually," Remei replied, her tone perky.

Getting a look at Pallegina's less than thrilled expression, Remei sighed and held up her hands.

"All right, all right. I'll try to answer your question _seriously_ ," her fingers forming quotation marks as she said the word distastefully, "this time. Irritated you is one of your scarier flavors. Shame it doesn't work on Durance, he –"

At Pallegina's glare she stopped. "Right, getting off topic. I guess I've just never really thought about it. It's just sort of how I've always been."

She paused, chewing her lower lip, and spending a long moment looking into the fire, the flickering light casting long shadows over her face. This time she was being genuinely introspective, or at least as close as she ever got.

"I guess it's just that I know that no matter how awful things look at the moment, they always have a way of working out. They always have," she began slowly, speaking so quietly at first that Pallegina almost didn't hear her.

"I mean, when I first developed my cipher powers, I was terrified, but I never would have survived this long without them. Or when I was six, a pregnant raccoon took over the trash pile I was living in, and things looked pretty bleak, but then we ended up becoming really good friends."

Pallegina didn't quite have time to digest that last remark before Remei finally turned to face her, her voice louder and more confident, a grin on her face. "And now, yeah, all that stuff you mentioned is happening, but because of it I've also got a real home and real friends, maybe even something like a family. I call that a bargain."

Pellagina cocked her head to the side, her inner eyelid fluttering for a moment, her features thoughtful.

Eventually, she gave Remei a warm smile. "That is a lovely way to see the world."

"It's how the world actually is," Remei replied simply.

Pallegina sighed and looked out into the dark world surrounding them. "I hope you're right."

The smile on Remei's face turned impish. "Is this the part where we hug it out?"

"No."


	3. The One with the Sweet Loot

**The One with the Sweet Loot**

Aloth heaved a deep sigh. It looked like it was going to be one of _those_ sorts of afternoons again.

"What are you doing Remei?"

Remei looked up at him from where she sat cross-legged on the tavern floor, an impish grin on her face.

"Checking out all the sweet loot I liberated from some noble's house this morning."

Well, one thing you could always say about Remei was that she was at least open about her rather loose grasp on the concept of "other people's property."

And she was certainly equal opportunity in what she took, he thought, looking at the detritus surrounding her. Old books, a handful of potions, some lockpicks, ... a fish.

Aloth gave her a look that was distinctly unimpressed.

Remei stopped sorting in response and looked up at him.

"Don't give me that look. I'll have you know I also stole 111 silver lusce and 30 golden ducs."

Aloth pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Remei, I think you have a problem."

She looked surprised. "No, I don't," she said dismissively.

"You steal everything that's not nailed down."

"It's not my fault some people take insufficient care in securing their belongings. That means they want me to have it," she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Aloth replied slowly and clearly, as though he was speaking to a child, which sometimes didn't seem very far off the mark with Remei. "No. No it does not."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Besides, I steal only what I can't afford. That just happens to be everything."

He was starting to feel the beginnings of the special sort of headache he got whenever he debated something with Remei and she brought in her own special brand of logic.

He gave her a serious look.

"You know that's not true."

She was quiet a moment. "I guess old habits die hard," she finally admitted begrudgingly. "It's still getting through to me that I actually have money know, that I don't have to worry about where my next meal is coing from."

She took a deep breath and raised her hands placatingly.

"And since it means that much to you, I promise I'll take everything back. Even though stealing is one of my top three favorite crimes."

"Dare I ask what the other two are?"

"Swindling people through elaborate musical numbers and extortion. The x makes it sound cool." She gave him a serious look just a shade short of mocking. "I hope you appreciate how much I'm giving up for you."

"My heart bleeds," he replied dryly.

She swept the scattered gear back into her bag and stood up. "I suspect you're not being entirely genuine," she said, tapping him on the chest with her index finger, "but all the same, I will pack this stuff up and take it back to the Doemenals."

Aloth raised an eyebrow. "You stole this stuff from the Doemenals?"

"Yup."

"On second thought, screw 'em."

Remei's face broke open into a huge grin, and she threw her arms around him.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"You're a terrible influence," he replied, shaking his head.

She stepped back and winked at him. "Always."

"Now," she continued, "I'm going to check out the bar and see what sorts of delightful concoctions our dear Bishop can whip up. Care to join me?" She was wearing her mischievous look, which was never a good sign.

"I think I've already been complicit in enough bad behavior for one day."

Remei shrugged. "Your loss."

And with that she went skipping off to the bar, Aloth's coin purse resting safely in her pocket.


End file.
